It is possible to request technical support from The Molecular Foundry (TMF) to assist meeting certain minimal needs of an ALS proposal. Users will need to indicate all requirements on the ALS General Sciences proposal submission. TMF will attempt to meet reasonable requests, but there is no guarantee that requests will be met, even if an ALS proposal is successful.

Users are strongly encouraged to review the services and instrumentation available at TMF BEFORE completing and submitting a proposal requesting Molecular Foundry services.In considering a request, TMF management has asked the Advanced Light Source User Office to make users aware of the following requirements related to granting Molecular Foundry work access:

Feedback on Proposals. The Molecular Foundry will consider user requests for access via the ALS for the attributes of administrative, scientific and technical feasibility; we will provide feedback in all three areas to ALS management in a timely fashion.

Training Requirements. There are specific training requirements at the Molecular Foundry that are different to those in place at the ALS. Each person awarded Molecular Foundry use as part of their accepted ALS proposal will be expected to meet all Molecular Foundry JHA (Job Hazard Analysis) training requirements PRIOR TO commencement of any work at the Foundry.

TMF Laboratories. There are six individual labs at TMF: each lab has unique equipment, instruments, staff, core competencies and workloads, all of which will be considered in evaluating your request for access. Each TMF lab has its own maximum amount of time that users can request for their projects. In general, this access time is very rarely granted all in one block of time. Currently, the times shown below are maximum available total access time limits for lab training, use, and support from one or more assigned staff scientists within a facility. These limits are applicable to each awarded ALS proposal requesting TMF support, regardless of how many persons are included on the proposal:

Imaging and ManipulationUp to 20 hours of instrument time (includes training where available).

In addition, the usage rules for each piece of equipment and instruments vary widely within TMF. For many instruments and equipment, training can be arranged by the staff scientist subject matter expert. However, for some instruments within specific labs, no training is available and granting experiment time on these instruments must be done by individual appointment. Users should be aware of, and know the rules and guidelines for the services they are requesting.